Early one morning, Brandon O'Brien was driving from Purdue University, where he is now a senior, to a dentist appointment a few hours away.
Just as students are scrambling to register for next semester's classes, word is getting out about a new communication course to hit the rolls this spring: Cyber Porn and Society.Assistant Professor Alexander Halavais, who will teach the COM 497 class, said despite the class's evident titillating content, it is extremely relevant to his field of study."A class about pornography could seem silly to do, but it's such a huge part of society, technology and communications that it is also extremely obvious that it's something that should be taught," he said.Of those students who have heard about the new class, many said they are unsure what to expect from it."I am thinking about taking this class next semester and I am just curious as to whether or not we are just going to watch pornography or if we are going to analyze it in some way," said sophomore Andrew Koppmann.Halavais said the class consists of much more than just passively watching pornography, but that viewing actual samples of pornographic film will certainly take place."You have to be 18 years old to take this class because there will be clips of pornography to show an example of something I am teaching," he said.
A stroll down Main or Chippewa Streets on a Saturday night will reveal hundreds of university students traipsing in and out of bars, expending precious dollars and even more precious brain cells on a few social drinks, sometimes until 4 a.m.Though not as numerable as those out for a night on the town, there are some students who spend their time behind the bar serving drinks rather than waiting in line to order one.UB students Chris Pliszka and Jillian Czyz are two of those students.Chris Pliszka, a senior majoring in geography, is one busy barkeep.
Universities are large-scale breeding grounds for the intelligent future of the nation. Statistics for sexually transmitted infections continuously show that intelligence isn't the only thing breeding on university campuses.According to Susan Mancuso, a nurse practitioner working in Student Health Services in Michael Hall, STD infections are most prevalent among young people aged 13 to 25.
When guests come to stay at the Holiday Inn, they expect to enjoy the same comforts any hotel would provide to their guests.But according to employees, visitors to the Grand Island location sometimes receive a little something extra: A visit from the ghost of a little girl named Tanya.The details of Tanya's origin vary, but the essence of each story is the same."The most common legend is that the property that our Holiday Inn was built on in 1972 used to be known as the White Haven settlement, where there was a mansion," said Dale Van Alstine, director of catering at the Holiday Inn.
Students have been hearing about the dangers of alcohol since elementary school. Programs like "D.A.R.E." and "Just Say No" are designed to create awareness of alcohol's dangerous effects from a very young age.But these educational programs have nothing on Mother Nature and her dreaded hangover."A hangover is telling your body that drinking too much was very bad for you, and that you should not drink that much ever again," said Marla Jurek, a certified rehabilitation counselor at the Wellness Center.Besides severely taxing the body's liver, kidneys, brain and other internal organs, alcohol puts those who overindulge at risk of death."Alcohol is a poison and it can kill you, just like any other poison," said Frank Johnson of the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.Ingesting alcohol dehydrates the body, drains it of vitamins and minerals, and depresses the central nervous system, Johnson said.
Pano Georgiadis, the owner of Pano's Restaurant at 1081 Elmwood Ave., has come under fire for what preservationists and owners of other businesses on Elmwood consider an attack on Elmwood's appeal.Georgiadis' plan to demolish the Atwater House on 1089 Elmwood Ave.
Everyone has a story to tell about UBE 101. Some say the class is a great mode of transition from high school to college.
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